Nightmares and Revelations
by isabella380
Summary: With his team at their breaking point after their escape from custody Hannibal reaches out to the only other person he trusts, but not even he can plan for the consequences of his actions.
1. Chapter 1

It had literally been the longest two months of Hannibal Smith's life.

Truth be told some parts were a blur to him - their escape from prison, obtaining the engraving plates, the chaos at the L.A. Docks...he was so high on adrenaline and with the hope that finally everything was going to be okay. He was going to break his boys out of prison, get back the plates, and they were going to be free again, reinstated back into the Army with clean records and the largest fucking apology that anyone had ever received from the U.S. Government.

That was one plan that definitely did not come together.

Even though he knew he shouldn't he blamed himself. He blamed himself for not seeing what Morrison was doing to him and his boys. He blamed himself for even going on that last damned mission to start with. They had been _ordered_ to stay the hell out of Baghdad, but he went anyway. Begged to be the one to go in after the plates instead of Black Forest. Had to go once that bastard Lynch put the thought of those engraving plates being in enemy hands into his brain, which he supposed was the plan the whole time. He just had to be the one to ride in once again and save the day.

And now here they were, the best of the best that the Army had to offer, hiding out in a shitty hotel room in a part of L.A. that even the LAPD would not respond to in the case of an emergency. All four of them stuffed into one room with two double beds, taking shifts on the stained loveseat which they had arranged next to the window to be on the lookout of any stray law enforcement cars which may have took the wrong turn leading into the neighborhood as the rest of them tried to sleep through the night while still being alert enough to be up at a moment's notice and ready to run like hell.

Hannibal knew that they were all hanging on by a thread. None of them had an issue with their close quarters. They, as a team, had lived together, slept together, even showered together so many times over the years they were comfortable with each other in a way that would make most people cringe. It had been two long months on edge with the knowledge that at any given moment they could be captured and thrown back in jail. Even in the war they had the safety of the FOB to fall back on in between missions for downtime, to recharge and relax and prepare for what may be ahead of them.

They needed a safe place. Hannibal knew that now. A safe place where they could relax for five minutes without looking over their shoulders. A safe place where they could recharge and gather their thoughts. He had to come up with a plan to keep them safe and provide for them - to figure out where to go from here. He had failed them so much over the past year and he couldn't keep letting his boys down. He had come to terms with the fact that it was possible that they may never regain their freedom - that they may be fugitives for the rest of their lives and, for the lack of a better term, they had to get their shit together.

This was one plan that _had_ to come together. And there was only one person left outside the three men in his company that he could truly trust not to betray him. One person who he had promised himself he would never drag into this mess no matter what.

Never say never.

"Face," he whispered to the man in bed next to him. "You awake?"

"Yeah. I don't think I ever went to sleep. We can't keep going on like this Boss."

Hannibal turned his head to look at the younger man who had already turned his head to face him. "I've been thinking the same thing. I have a plan."


	2. Chapter 2

The young woman entered the apartment slowly, pausing only to turn and set the deadbolt before throwing the book bag which had been thrown over her shoulders down, sighing as it hit the floor with a resounding thud. She walked the short distance between her door and the sofa in the small sitting room, throwing herself down face first on the plush sofa, groaning to herself. This past semester had kicked her ass and she was looking forward to getting away for a little while.

_Away from what? _She mentally yelled at herself. _Why do I feel like I need to-_. Her thoughts were cut-off by the ringing of the cell phone in her back pocket. Pulling the phone out of her pocket she answered it quickly. "Hello?"

"Yes my name is Jackson Miranda and I'm with the LA Times." the male voice spoke slowly. "May I speak with Isabella Smith?"

She sat up quickly, throwing her feet on the table in front of her as she crossed her arms around her chest. "No comment." She said sternly as she pressed the end button and threw the phone in her lap, now reminded of why she felt like she needed to be on the run. Constant calls for the past two months from reporters asking for an interview or comment; trying to get any information from her about her father and the rest of his team.

She had left Benning shortly after her father was sent to Fort Carson, deciding to move to Los Angeles for a fresh start, transferring to UCLA to finish her degree. Her dad had signed everything over to her before the court-martial, a detail that she did not discover until after the proceedings were over. Everything that he had was hers to do what she wanted to with but she did not want any of it. She wanted him. Her mother had passed a few years before and now she felt like she had been ripped from her life as well. His home had become her permanent home after her mother died but it was not the same after he was sent away to prison and she knew that it would never be home for her again.

Her thoughts wondered back to the day that her dad broke out of prison. She was in the lunchroom at school, sitting with some friends studying for Dr. Melton's Ancient History exam when she happened to look up at the TV that was mounted to the wall not ten feet in front of her only to see a picture of her father staring back at her. Time stopped for her in that moment and all she could do was sit there and smile to herself as she heard the newswoman talk about how he had escaped earlier that same day and he was considered armed and extremely dangerous. She followed the news religiously over the next 48 hours as photos of Peck, Baracus and Murdock joined her father's picture. All four of them out again. All four of them together again. Like it should be.

She knew that they would be desperate to clear their names but when she woke up that particular morning and turned on the news to see the chaos at the L.A. docks she jumped for joy. It had to be over. This nightmare had to be over, they would all be free, get reinstated and live happily ever after; they would just move on with their lives and the past months would be like a bad dream that they woke up from.

She waited all day and half the night for a phone call that day. Knowing she would not be able to concentrate she stayed in her apartment praying the entire time that her dad was not hurt; praying that he would knock on her door at any time or just call her and tell her to come pick him up and bring him home.

The call never came. He never came.

But the DOD did come. As did the CIA and FBI. All wanting information. All thinking that it had to be more than coincidence that she had relocated to L.A. All interrogating her for days about the whereabouts of the A-Team until they were satisfied that she was telling the truth and she really had no idea where they could be. Did they really think he would be so stupid as to contact her?

But she had wanted him to. She knew he was not that careless but part of her wished that he would be. Every day that passed without contact her heart broke all over again. Her chest tightened as tears began to fall down her face. She would give anything to hear his voice again. Give anything to see him one more time, to feel his strong arms around her, crushing him to her, breathing in the scent that was her father – a distinctive mix of Cuban cigars and whatever he had to drink with the General before heading home. She took a deep breath as she stood up, discarding her phone on the sofa as she wiped her face quickly with the back of her hand and made her way to the kitchen on a mission to make herself a cup of hot tea before returning back to her sofa to find something on TV to distract her until she fell asleep.

She opened the swinging door leading into the kitchen, instinctively swiping her hand over the light switch, illuminating the small space. Moving like a robot she turned the tea kettle on the stove on as she reached up to the cabinet above, pulling out a small mug with one hand as she fumbled with a canister beside the stove with her other, pulling out a tea bag which she placed in the mug as she sat it down on the stove.

"Ella, a watched pot never boils."

She jumped as she turned around quickly, eyes glued to the direction of the voice. The voice she had been praying to hear for months. She smiled as she saw Hannibal Smith perched on a stool in the far corner of the room, directly in front of the refrigerator. He stood slowly from his sitting position as she took in his appearance. Dressed simply in a white t-shirt and pair of dark jeans she could tell that he had lost a little weight but otherwise looked to be healthy. "Daddy?" She whispered, a small part of her believing that she was dreaming and would wake up anytime now but still moving towards him, throwing herself into his arms with enough force to make him stumble backwards for a moment but he quickly regained his balance, wrapping his arms around her as she burst into tears.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I make no profit from this - only do this for the fun of it!

Thanks to everyone so far that has read - this is my first attempt so any suggestions are welcome!

**Chapter 3**

Hannibal did not know what kind of reaction he would receive when he saw Ella again but this was what he had least expected. She was one of the gentlest people he knew, but as a general rule his daughter was also very reserved and this type of emotional outburst from her was rare. Tears soaked through his shit as he held onto her, his hands rubbing her back in slow, circular motions as he felt her tighten his hold on him. "It's ok baby." He whispered as he bent his head down to plant a kiss on the top of her head.

He was surprised how much she had changed since he last saw her. The California sun had done wonders for her skin and a healthy glow had replaced her fair complexion. Ella had always been thin but she had started doing yoga about a year ago to build muscle tone and it had clearly paid off. The tank top and shorts she was wearing showed off her toned arms and legs and instead of sickly skinny she was healthy skinny. He was pleased that she had decided to grow her hair out, long and dark red, it reached the middle of her back easily now instead of the shorter style that he had been favoring for many years.

She took several deep breaths in an effort to calm herself down and regain some sort of composure. "I've been worried about you."

"I know. I didn't want to involve you in this mess."

She nodded her head against him, "sorry."

He laughed a little, "why?"

"You have enough going on without me falling apart at the sight of you."

"Hey," he pulled away a little so he could look down into her dark green eyes. "You know you're the most important person in my life. Don't ever apologize for that."

She nodded as she pulled away from him. "The rest of the guys ok?"

"Everyone is fine."

Ella jumped as the kettle behind her began to whistle. Not wanting the tea anymore she walked back to the stove and turned the burner off. "El Diablo is in charge of finding y'all." She said, using Murdock's nickname for Face's ex-girlfriend as she turned to face Hannibal, leaning against the stove.

He smiled at her southern drawl. "How are you certain about that?"

"She got them to leave me alone. Said that there was no use in questioning me about where y'all were hiding at because I'm the last person you would contact."

Hannibal's smile disappeared. "Who exactly is _them_?"

"DOD, CIA, FBI…you know, the usual. A couple of Men in Black as well, I think, so you can let Murdock know that they actually do exist."

"They questioned you? About us?"

"Yeah. They swore up and down that I had to be involved somehow after what happened at the docks. Thought it was too convenient that I had just relocated here a few months before you practically destroyed the place."

"Did they touch you?" He asked quietly.

"What?"

He wasn't sure he was prepared for her answer. "Did they put their hands on you?"

It took a moment for it to register in her mind what he was trying to say. Her head shook quickly. "No. A couple of them freaked me out a little, but no one hurt me."

He relaxed as he let out a breath that he did not realize he was holding in. "Good."

"It's great to see you but I know this isn't a social call." She said after a brief silence.

He knew she deserved the truth. "No. It's not. What I said earlier is true. Ella, I never wanted to drag you into this."

She shrugged. "I'm already involved. I'm your daughter. And the list of people you trust right now is extremely short."

Hannibal snorted. "You're the list."

"Then I don't think you have a choice."

"We need a place to hide out for a few months. Just to regroup and figure a few things out. Looking behind out backs 24/7 is beginning to strain us." He paused before continuing. "Face could always scam us a place, but we need something more stable right now."

"Done." She smiled at him.

"Done?"

She crossed her arms against her chest. "Stay three steps ahead and anticipate the enemy's move before they make it; isn't that what you've always said?"

He laughed as he sat back down on the stool. "Yeah."

"Well, you are certainly not my enemy but I anticipated a situation like this coming up." She continued as his eyebrows raised in interest. "There is a parking garage at the corner of 47th and Pennsylvania. On the west side of the sixth floor of the garage you will find a black Chevy Tahoe, inside of which is a little cash and the address to a cabin about five hours north of here. It's secluded and safe."

"Can it be traced back to you?"

"Not at all. I leased it under a false identity. Even paid cash." She bit at her bottom lip in thought. "We'll have to stop on the way to stock up on supplies. I wasn't sure if you'd reach out to me for help or not so I didn't bother to take anything up there."

"_We'll have to stop on the way?_" Hannibal repeated.

Ella closed the small distance between them. "Please Daddy," her voice became whiny and she offered her best puppy face. "Please can't I come stay for a little bit?"

"That didn't work when you were five and it's not going to work now." Hannibal shook his head slightly. "Why do I have the feeling that you'll show up with or without my permission?"

"Because I will." She placed her hands on his shoulders, smiling at him as she tilted her head. "Please? If you'll just say ok we can just bypass the lecture I'll get when I show up anyway."

_The one person in the world I can't say no to._ He thought to himself. "Ok." He was rewarded when she threw herself into his arms again, a silly grin still plastered on her face.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Ella could not wipe the silly grin off her face that had appeared shortly after Hannibal left the apartment. Not only had she managed to get her dad to agree to let her tag along for a couple of weeks, she also managed to talk him into bringing everyone to spend the night at her place with the plan to leave early in the morning for the cabin she had leased for them in the mountains. The Chinese that she had ordered for dinner had already been delivered and she turned her attention to getting the two spare bedrooms she had ready. She had already tidied up the second bedroom and was now making her way into the third bedroom, sheets in hand to get that bed ready for her guests – two men that had been the brothers that she never had and the one who meant so much more to her.

She moved around the bed, pulling on the fitted sheet as her thoughts wondered to the three men who had worked with her father so long that she knew that he thought of them as the sons that he never had. There was Face, the smooth handsome one who could talk his way into (and out of) most situations. Of course B.A. was the muscle of the team. A mechanical genius who could tear down and put back together most anything at a moment's notice.

And then there was Murdock.

She began to place the flat sheet on the bed as she thought about Murdock. He was the one, _the only one_, who invaded her dreams at night. Dreams which made her wake up gasping for air with his name on her lips, her body still tingling from his phantom touch. Dreams that were so real that she could feel his body on hers, dominating her as he made her feel like no one had ever made her feel before.

It was after the court martial that she realized how she truly felt for him. She had always loved the crazy pilot but when she learned that he had been sent to the psychiatric hospital in Germany realized that she did not love him the way she loved the others, she was _in love_ with him.

Ella wrote letters to send to him in Germany. Letters in which she tried to explain her feelings to him and that she did not realize how much he really meant to her until he was gone from her life. One letter was full of clichés and she shredded it for sounding too corny. Another letter seemed too technical, as if she was trying to rationalize her feelings for him and she shredded that one as well. Frustrated after two weeks of trying to put her feelings into words she booked herself on the first flight she could get out of Atlanta into Germany, determined to go see Murdock and tell him herself. By that point she did not care anymore if he felt the same way or not; all she knew was that it was eating her up inside and she had to tell him. If he did not feel the same at least she could have closure and move on.

She entered the hospital that day with a false ID and signed in the ledger to visit C. Jones. Ella had no idea if there was a patient there by that name, only hoping to take advantage of the fact that the orderly that was in charge of signing in visitors that day would be more interested in the cleavage that she was showing with her low cut top than who she was signing in to visit. The gamble paid off and in a matter of minutes she was ushered into a bright day room where patients were gathered around tables together playing games or just talking.

Her eyes scanned the room until she saw her goal. The man was sitting in a wheelchair with his back to her facing one of the large windows on the far side of the room, but the baseball cap and the shaggy hair showing from underneath it were clear indications that it was Murdock. She took a deep breath as she crossed the room, her heels clicking on the floor beneath her. "Murdock." She called out to him as she approached him. "Murdock," she lowered her voice as she got even closer so only he could hear her. "It's Ella."

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of him as she looked at him for the first time in weeks. Restrained in a straitjacket sat a cationic Murdock. She gasped as she pulled a nearby chair over beside him. "James," she said in an attempt to get some sort of reaction from him as she took in his physical appearance. His eyes were open but they were a dull version of what they should have been. Lifeless blue-green orbs had taken the place of the bright manic eyes that she had grown to love over the years. He had not shaved, or been shaved, in what she guessed to be almost a week as he had a good bit of hair on his face. A shaking hand reached out and rested on his knee as tears filled her eyes. "It's Ella." She repeated. "Murdock, can you hear me?"

He sat there with his eyes staring blankly into space. No smile. No nothing.

Sighing she sat back in her chair and started talking to him about everything and anything until it was announced that only ten minutes of time remained before all visitors had to leave the hospital. "I know you can't hear me but I came all the way here to tell you something." She began as time was running out. "I love you." She paused to wipe tears from her eyes. "I didn't realize it until it was too late but I love you more than anything. I've loved you for years but I've been too much of a coward to admit it to myself, much less to you." She stood up and bent over him, planting a kiss on his paralyzed lips. "I promise I'll come back to visit when you're better. I love you." She breathed against his lips as she kissed him a second time before walking away.

Ella shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she grabbed a light quilt out of the bedroom closet and applied the finishing touches to the bed. She took a deep breath as she sat on the freshly made bed, _maybe I __shouldn't__go._ She thought to herself. _Maybe I should just come up with an excuse and stay away from him. Just avoid the whole situation._

_It's not like he feels the same anyway._


	5. Chapter 5

"Hannibal, where have you been?" Face all but yelled at the older man when he walked back into the hotel room, ceasing his pacing from one end of the room to the other. "We've been worried sick. I didn't think you'd be gone this long."

"I'm sorry kid." Hannibal moved towards the younger man. "It took a little longer than expected." He pulled Face into his arms holding him tight against him. "I never meant for you to worry."

Face pulled away slightly as he tilted his head up to kiss his lover. "Do you want to tell me now who you went to see?"

Hannibal paused for a minute. He had only told Face that he was going to see someone who may be able to help them, not telling him who as he was not sure if he would go through with the plan for asking for her help or not. "Ella."

Face's eyes widened in surprise. "Ella?" The younger man took a couple of steps back, "What is she doing in L.A.?"

"She moved out here a few months ago." Hannibal said as he sat on the edge of the closest bed. "Transferred to UCLA to finish her degree."

"History right?"

"Ancient History." Hannibal corrected him.

"How is she?"

A smile lit up Hannibal's face. "She looks great." He admitted. "I think she decided to get away from Benning after everything went down. We talked a little, but we still have some catching up to do."

"Can she help us?"

"Yeah. She had already got a place arranged where we can lay low for a couple of months. She was just waiting on us to contact her." Hannibal said quietly.

Face laughed. "Are you saying that _she_ had a plan already?"

"Scary, isn't it?"

"As long as she leaves the cooking to Murdock." The younger man frowned as he mind drifted to the one and only time that she had tried to cook for them. He sat beside the older man. "Did you tell her about us?" He asked quietly.

Hannibal shook his head. "Not yet. She was really emotional when she saw me and I didn't want to overload her with too much at once. I thought we'd tell her together once we get to the mountains." He took Face's hand in his. "She'll be happy for us." He paused for a moment before continuing. "We'll make our way to her place to stay the night and leave in the morning. The only think is we'll have to stop somewhere for supplies." His eyes glanced around the room, as he just noticed that they were alone. "What did you do with Murdock and B.A.?"

"They just left to dump the car we've been using." Face explained as he glanced down at his watch. "They should be back any minute now."

"Good." Hannibal said as he pulled a cigar out of his back pocket and lit it, inhaling deeply. "We'll leave when they get back. She'll have dinner waiting on us."

"How big is her apartment?" Face asked as he leaned his head against Hannibal's shoulder.

"Three beds and a bath." Hannibal replied. "Decent size. Why?"

"Because we haven't had a room to ourselves in weeks." Face lifted his head and kissed his lover. Hannibal wrapped his arms around face, deepening the kiss as he allowed the younger man to push him down onto the bed, crawling on top of him slowly. "It will be nice to have you all to myself."

Hannibal growled as he felt Face harden against him. "I was thinking the same thing on the drive back over here." He said against his lips, returning the passionate kisses. "But we'll have to hold down the noise."

Their interlude was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. A startled Face cursed as he disengaged himself from Hannibal, walking to the door and looking though the peephole. He glanced back at Hannibal as he opened the door, "it's just B.A. and Murdock."

B.A. glared at Face as he entered the room, "of course it's B.A. and Murdock." He said. "Who the hell else were you expecting, the tooth fairy?"

A smirk crossed Murdock's face as he noticed Hannibal sitting up on the bed. "I think we may have interrupted-"

"No." Hannibal said quickly, cutting Murdock off from elaborating any further. "Glad you two are back. Now we can get going."

"I take it the Tahoe outside is our new chariot?" B.A. asked.

Hannibal stood up. "Absolutely. And the Princess is waiting on us." He glanced at his watch. "And we better get going before she tries to come looking for us."

Face laughed at the confused expression on B.A. and Murdock's faces. "Ella's in L.A." He said simply as he walked out the door. "And it's not polite to keep a lady waiting."

Murdock was uncharacteristically quiet on the drive to Ella's apartment. Luckily no one questioned his sudden somber mood as he slumped in the back of the SUV, staring blankly out the window as he nervously bit at this thumbnail while his stomach felt like it was turning inside out, his already manic mind was going another million miles a second.

His heart was about to beat out of his chest at the thought of seeing Ella again. It had been months since he had seen her and he had thought of her every day. He had even had a hallucination of her when he was locked up in the mental hospital. A hallucination so real that he had felt her hand resting on his leg and smelled the scent of the strawberry shampoo that she uses as she had bent over and kissed him, telling him that she loved him, she had always loved him, and that she would be back to visit him.

A hallucination – all of it – if it had been real, she would have come back. One thing about Ella, when she said she was going to do something damn it she did it.

She had always been a thought in the back of the team's head. All of them knew that Hannibal had a daughter back in the states; he regularly received letters and cards from her at whatever FOB base they were working out of. But it was not until the death of her mother that they actually met her. Hannibal had taken a leave to go back to the states to visit her immediately her mother's passing and the rest of the team followed a couple of days later to find him busy helping his daughter move into one of the downstairs bedrooms of his home.

She was very nice to himself and the rest of the guys but she had been painfully shy those first few days, not saying a word to anyone unless spoken to first, but Murdock was the one that was finally able to break through to her. They bonded in the large living room, spending hours watching Spongebob and Phineas and Ferb, often staying up half the night if a marathon was on. Other nights they found themselves staying up together long after the others had fallen asleep just talking. Murdock discovered quickly that she was just as smart as she was beautiful, fluent in several languages and planning to study history when she went to college.

It was during those late nights that he fell in love with her. It had been ages since he had allowed himself to feel that way towards a woman and he found himself falling hard for Hannibal Smith's daughter. She seemed immune to the things that had driven women away from him in the past. Ella was able to read his moods, knowing when he was manic and needed and outlet for his endless supply of energy and knowing when he was coming down from the mania and needed space. He remembered vividly the day she had laughed so hard that she had tears in her eyes the first time she saw the gallon sized ziplock bag he carried around full of the different medications that he had been prescribed. "You may be fooling them but you ain't fooling me," she had said when she finally contained her laugher, pointing at the bad in his hand. "Only a sane man could keep that straight."

Years ago he had come to terms with the fact that they would never be a couple. Murdock knew that he was one of her best friends, but that was all he was to her. But even a crazy man had dreams. Dreams which found Ella underneath him, her entire body writhing in pleasure as he pinned her down to the bed, slowly making love to her as she begged him not to stop. Dreams in which the situation was reversed and Murdock was the one laying on his back, happy to let her take control of their lovemaking as she rode them both into ecstasy….

His reverie was broken as B.A. parked the SUV. He watched as Hannibal, in the front seat, pointed directly at the building in front of them. "Up the stairs to the right boys," he explained. "She's in apartment 410."

Murdock exited the SUV with the others, taking a deep breath as he climbed the stairs, bringing up the rear. As they reached the top of the stairs the door to the apartment opened and they were all greeted by a smiling Ella, face to face for the first time in months with the person who had been haunting him for so long. And he found himself grinning back at her as they filed into her apartment, closing the door behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

_So much for staying away, _Ella thought to herself as she stood in the kitchen washing the dishes from dinner. Face and Murdock had both offered to help but she had quickly told them that it probably would be quicker for her to handle them by herself and ran them both out of the kitchen after they had brought her the last of the dishes from the dining room. It had been hard enough sitting beside Murdock at the dinner table and she needed a little breathing room.

She smiled to herself as she rinsed the last of the dishes, placing them on the drainer beside the sink. It was wonderful to see them all again. Especially Murdock. He was normal again, or as normal as Murdock ever got. The grin she had saw on his face when she opened the door to her apartment had set her on fire and there was his eyes. Those beautiful eyes that smiled at her as well, but there was something about the way that he looked at her tonight that seemed different….

The kitchen door opening interrupted her thoughts and she turned to see her father entering the kitchen, ever present cigar in his hand. His head nodded towards the sink as he stood beside her. "You should have let the guys help with that."

She smiled at him as she continued to wash the dishes. "It would have taken twice as long. I can see Murdock and Face both making a bigger mess than what we had to start with."

Hannibal chuckled, "Probably right. I think I'm going to go ahead and call it a night. I want us to get up and going early tomorrow."

Ella giggled. "Is that your nice way of telling me to go to bed as well?"

Hannibal shook his head as he wrapped one arm around his daughter, holding her close as he kissed the top of her head. "No, this is my nice way of telling you that we're leaving early and if you're coming with us be prepared to be up with us."

She leaned in towards his embrace, "yes sir." Her eyes followed him as he walked away from her and out of the kitchen. Her eyes were still on the door as Murdock waltzed into the kitchen, passing the older man as he walked out.

Murdock immediately performed the most elaborate curtsey her could manage in front of her, speaking to her in a British accent. "My lady I would like to request your presence in the living room."

"May I inquire on the occasion for which my presence is requested?" She matched his British accent with one of her own.

He continued with the accent. "Oh it's a splendid occasion indeed." Murdock straightened up from the curtsey. "There is a Phineas and Ferb marathon commencing in," he stopped to check his watch. "Twenty minutes."

Ella shook her head as she replied without the accent. "Murdock, I don't know if that's a good idea tonight. Dad just told me that he's going to have us up at ass-crack dawn to get out of here." She turned to face him fully, leaning her back against the counter. "We both know I'm not a morning person. I took great pains to arrange my class schedule so I wouldn't have to be up before ten in the morning. I'm that bad."

"Aw come on Ellie," he whined as he dropped the British accent. "Don't you wanna find out if Perry can thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz's evil plans?"

_Perry always thwarts Dr. Doofenshmirtz's evil plans,_ she thought to herself but did not have the heart to crush his feelings. _I'm hopelessly in love with a ten year old trapped in the body of a thirty year old man. _Sighing she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall behind Murdock. "I'll watch two episodes with you but then I have to go to bed, ok?" _I won't beat 'em, might as well join 'em. _

"Really?"

"I'll be out there as soon as I'm done with the dishes." Ella turned her back to him, going back to the dishes.

"Isabella." He called to her softly.

She stiffened at the use of her given name. Murdock never called her Isabella; it was always either Ella or a whiny Ellie when he was trying to get his way. A small frown crossed her face as her head turned, "yeah."

"I missed you." He blurted as he turned and walked out before she could reply to him.

Speechless she turned back to the task in front of her, "I missed you too."

Halfway through the first episode of the cartoon Murdock decided that a slumber party would be a great idea. Knowing that it was pointless to argue with him when an idea got into his head, Ella went to gather what spare blankets and pillows were not being used as Murdock moved the sofa and living room table against the far wall. Laying the thickest blankets on the floor together, they managed to make a comfortable space where they could settle down for the evening. They settled down comfortably with a large bowl of popcorn between them since Murdock insisted a slumber party could not be a slumber party without popcorn.

But it was halfway through the second episode that it happened. Ella and Murdock were curled up under separate blankets when a moan was heard from the other side of the apartment. Ella's attention went from the TV to Murdock. "Did you hear something?" Before she could receive an answer from him she heard another. "Is that Face?"

He could not lie to her. "Yeah."

_Oh Hannibal._

"Ok," she moved to a sitting position. "Face and my dad-"

Murdock sat up too. "Yeah. I think they were going to tell you tomorrow."

"But they've always been with women."

Murdock shrugged his shoulders. "Face has always swung both ways." He explained. "It's just something that we've always known but never really talked about."

"What about my dad?" She asked. "I mean I didn't think he-"

"Liked guys?" Murdock finished for her.

"Yeah."

Murdock sighed. "Me either. You know Hannibal's always been the man with the plan, but you can't plan falling in love or who you fall in love with." He paused. "I think when you love someone you love them and everything else falls into place on its own."

Ella nodded as his words sunk in. "Do you think that they're in love? This isn't some sort of hook-up type thing that they have going on?"

"I think that they've loved each other for a long time and when you really love someone, well you just heard what happens."

Ella laughed. "I am not calling Temp Dad."

He laughed along with her, "So you're okay with them?"

"Of course I am," she began. "It's not something that I expected but, and I know how cliché this sounds, if Daddy is happy then I'm all for it." Ella giggled, "I just don't want to hear them." She was quiet for a moment. "Can I ask you something?" Murdock nodded at her so she continued, "what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well I've never known you to date." She said slowly.

"You're right I don't get out a lot." Murdock began, "long story behind that. Is this your roundabout way of asking me if I'm straight?" He burst out in laughter as Ella's face turned crimson. "I prefer women."

"_You prefer women."_ She repeated. "So I take that you've been with guys as well?"

"Yeah." He admitted to her. "I mean there's been times when the opportunity presented itself and I went for it."

"But you prefer women?"

"Yes." He confirmed.

Ella's curiosity was getting the best of her. "Did you like it when you were with a man?"

"Sure I did. I wouldn't have done it again after the first time if I didn't."

Ella threw her blanket off of her, turning to face him as she sat cross-legged. "Okay, what if you were in a relationship with a woman, a really serious relationship, would you be able to just be with her forever, and not ever be with a man again?"

Murdock thought for a moment before answering. "Of course. When I'm with someone I'm with someone." His shoulders shrugged slightly. "I mean in a way that's a moot question."

"How?" Bewilderment filled her voice.

His hand rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well a girl can always wear a strap on-"

Ella grabbed her pillow, quickly hitting him before he could go any further. "Okay, I get the idea."

He turned towards her. "Okay enough about me, let's talk about you."

"Me?" Her eyebrows lifted. "What about me?"

"Well I've never known you to go out a lot either."

"I don't go out a lot."

His index finger extended in her direction, "so do _you_ have a preference?"

Crimson flooded her cheeks. "Men I guess."

Murdock giggled at her. "You guess? Don't you think you're old enough to know by now?"

Nervously she ran a hand through her hair. "Well the thing is I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to that sort of thing."

His mouth fell open as he jumped to sit on his knees. "OH MY GOD." His voice fell to a whisper as he pointed at her again. "You're still a virgin." He noticed her head drop immediately in embarrassment. "Hey, I don't mean it like it's a bad thing." Murdock quickly added.

"I know you don't." Her voice was quiet. "Are you wondering why?"

"Kinda, but you don't have to tell me."

She took a deep breath before she answered. "I just haven't met anyone that I want to do that with." _Liar liar pants on fire, _her subconscious screamed at her. "I mean I've had opportunities where I could have but, I don't think I can do the casual sex thing. I think I have to be with someone who means something to me." She added quietly as she looked into his eyes.

"Makes perfect sense." He agreed. "Your Prince Charming will ride in on a white horse one day and sweep you off your feet."

_I'd prefer you to fly in on a Huey instead, _she thought to herself as she laid back down under the blankets. "Maybe one day."

Murdock took her cue and settled back down himself. A comfortable silence took over the room as they quietly watched tv together until they both fell into a restless sleep.


End file.
